“Useful idiots.”

This term was used to describe people who blindly supported the evil murderous dictators of the various communist governments — as they committed one state-sanctioned atrocity after another against their own citizens, racking up a body count that made even Hitler’s rotting corpse jealous.

Didn’t matter how bad it got, either.

The Leftist “rationalization hamsters” sprinted tirelessly.

(Some STILL do…)

A dude I used to work with who escaped communist Poland said that, in some of those communist countries, when the useful idiots were no longer needed, they were often put out of their misery by the very dictators they propped up.

Pretty nutzo stuff.

And you know what?

We got useful idiots in Internet marketing land, too.

Obviously, not the same kind.

(Let’s keep it in context…)

But, for example:

The affiliate “feeding frenzies” where hapless noob affiliates are suckered into mindlessly pitching the exact same substandard products, using the exact same message in the exact same time frame. Or, they do the “push send” thing which means (as Ken McCarthy so eloquently put it) to “promote anything as long as there’s a buck in it and it doesn’t stink too bad.”

The result?

The publisher makes out like a bandit.

(With no fallout).

But the affiliates become pariahs.

Labeled spammers.

And then ignored by the very goo-roos they supported.

(As they are left to take the heat from selling those garbage products with the non-existent customer service, etc.)

Useful idiots indeed.

Hey, don’t buy from them.

Don’t model your marketing after them.

And, don’t become one of them.

Then, you will have peace…

Speaking of which:

You can make a ton more sales doing affiliate marketing by simply writing your own emails, and doing it in a way people like reading and buying from.

This is where “Email Players” steps up to the mic.

It works for affiliate marketers.

Coaches.

Information marketers.

Local businesses.

And, the list goes on.

More info at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

P.S. Shout out and “thanks!” to everyone who donated to Stan Billue’s widow’s gotofund yesterday. We raised over $2,500 which, if you are familiar with funeral expenses and arrangements, definitely makes a dent. The two people who criticized my offer notwithstanding (yes, I was actually criticized for helping a dead man’s widow, what are you gonna do?), I think it went extremely well and did twice as good as I thought it would.

Producer Jonathan and I are looking for a new voice to do the intro to the podcast. We were going to look on fiverr but I wanted to give my list a chance first.

What are we looking for?

Well, a chick whose voice fits this description:

  • Sexy & feminine
  • A *tad* snarky
  • Ideally (but not mandatory if you can fake it) you hold an *ounce* or so of contempt for me, so that it drips through in the snarkiness

For an example, listen to the intro to this podcast:

www.BenSettleShow.com/bsa37

I DIG that intro.

But, there’s a big glaring error in it (on my part), and we re-hired the same chick to redo it, but she’s too tame now, missing that original tinge of sarcasm I so loved.

What’s in it for you?

You mean, besides being in my good graces?

(Sheesh, you chicks are demanding…)

Well, besides whatever fee you and Producer Jonathan agree on, you also get a lifetime supply of happiness… as well as:

  • Weekly exposure to your voice
  • May have you on the show once in a while to be my other sidekick in addition to Jonathan
  • Free Ben Settle Show products (anything we sell that is not sold as an affiliate, we will give you, for as long as we use your voiceover — like the “Newbie Proof List Building” eBook, my “Copywriting Grab Bag” product, etc)

So what of it?

You want to be the new Ben Settle Show babe?

Then simply reply to this email.

We’ll then send you instructions on what to do.

Word out.

Ben Settle

This week’s “Ben Settle Show” zooms in on Producer Jonathan and I talking about one of my favorite movies and how it can make you more sales, give you more peace of mind, and grant you power over other people.

(Especially in bid’niz.)

No bullets to tease this one, though.

It’s all about ONE “magic” trait that both Producer Jonathan and I both agree makes this arguably the most valuable podcast episode yet.

Come and get your love here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Recently I watched one of my favorite movies:

“The Count Of Monte Cristo”

It’s about a guy (Edmond Dantes) who has it all — a hot fiance, a great job, and loving friends. Then, one day, he gets betrayed by a jealous friend and a government goon who throws him into prison for 16 years until he escapes to get his revenge.

Anyway, it’s a great flick.

And my favorite part is probably the birthday scene.

There’s no adventure, fighting, or “swash & buckle” in it.

It’s just a toast, where Edmond tells the boy:

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine!”

I REALLY dig that quote.

It’s not only inspiring… but it’s true.

Especially in business.

For example…

One day you’re sitting high and pretty, with plenty of cash to pay your bills, bang out some debt and tuck away a little dough into savings… only to get slapped with a fat unexpected tax bill that puts you back in the “hole.”

Or maybe a big money JV you counted on falls through.

Or your computer is hacked and your identity stolen.

Or your merchant account is suddenly shut down.

Or… or… any one of a MILLION terrible things that can happen at any time, to anyone, for no reason.

Yes, freak “storms” like this DO happen.

And like it or lump it we ALL get nailed eventually.

Lightning WILL strike.

It’s just a matter of time, my friend.

Question is, how will you deal with it?

Will you curl up into a fetal position and cry for your mama… or stare into its eyes and tell it to “do its worst”?

The choice is yours.

And you know what?

It’ll be one of your life’s defining moments.

More:

There’s an even more powerful business (and life) lesson in this movie.

A lesson that, if you take it to heart and apply it in your life, you will have no choice but to become far more successful than anyone you compete against — financially, emotionally, physically, and in every other way.

Anyway, I rap about it on tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” episode.

Until then, download prior episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

One of the big “take aways” I got from a mastermind I
attended in Austin last month was when we were told to write down
our “why.”

Why am I in business?

Why do I do this every day?

Why do I push myself?

I had a lot of answers to this.

One is, I don’t want to be destitute and impoverished (already
tasted a little bit of that, it was a bitter fruit indeed…).
Another is it amuses me (I find it fun). Yet another is, I want to
leave a legacy of having done something worthwhile when I join the
Choir Invisible.

But the MAIN why?

The One Motivation that rules them all?

Power.

As the late Gary Halbert pointed out in his “Boron Letters” book, there is no justice, only power (and he would know, considering he wrote that book from a Federal prison serving time for a crime he didn’t even commit).

Yes!

I want power, babycakes!

And, I want LOTS of it.

I don’t want anyone controlling me or my destiny.

I don’t want to have my freedom taken away on a whim by some bureaucrat who suddenly deems me a criminal for committing a thought crime or some other nonsense (and if you think we aren’t going in that direction then, well, keep being naive, little snowflake, Obama loves you), or because someone bears false witness against me.

And, I don’t want to be financially or physically vulnerable.

Not exactly the most noble of “whys”.

But, few of my whys are.

(I wrote the deranged and ultra violent “Zombie Cop” book just to impress a girl, for example, and the thought of a particularly grating person in my childhood is what pushes me to keep going farther and farther in business. Hey, I grab my motivation where I can get it, yo.)

Anyway, was a good mental exercise.

One more thing:

(Speaking of “Zombie Cop”)

If you’re in to twisted monster stories, give the free sample chapter at Amazon a whirl.

Who knows?

You may find you like the “taste”:

www.EnochWars.com

Ben Settle

Started banging out my 3rd novel last Friday:

“Demon Crossfire”

It’s the third part of the “Enoch Wars” series (7 books planned), and so far it’s going exactly as “chaotically planned” as I’d expected. By that I mean, whenever I write a novel, the first draft is a confusing mess of half completed ideas, clumsy sentences, plot contradictions, and editorial lapses (i.e. forgetting character names, street names, etc).

I used to worry about this stuff.

But, not no more.

Why?

Because of a little trick I learned while writing the first two novels — that also happens to work if you are writing a long form sales pitch.

(Especially long video scripts).

And that thing is:

When I finish a chapter (I write one chapter per day), I loosely bullet point what will be in the next chapter before finishing for that day. That way, I don’t sit there all night wondering and obsessing about it. I can let go of the story from my conscious mind which (according to the late copywriter Gene Schwartz) only holds 7 memory “bytes.” Great for solving problems, syllogisms, etc, but terrible for getting actual ideas. The idea part is what your subconscious brain is for. When I let go of the story the rest of the day and night, and will myself not to think about it, all kinds of ideas start pouring into my brain the next day, making it a super easy and fast process.

And, making the story a helluva lot better, to boot.

Anyway, important writer safety tip.

That is, if you value your sanity.

To check out the other books in the series, go to:

www.EnochWars.com

Ben Settle

Watch them grammar nazis squeal

Today’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast sends the grammar nazis out into the streets weeping & gnashing their teeth.

Producer Jonathan and I rap about:

  • Why the old school copywriters purposely misspelled words in their ads. (Back then there was no easy credit card or online ordering, people had to go sometimes miles to the bank, then travel more miles to the post office, often taking an entire day, just to order by mail. Here’s how they used bad spelling to not only get more sales, but motivate people to go through the trouble of ordering at all…)
  • Why one of history’s greatest novelists condoned and even promoted the idea of misspelling words.
  • Why one of the greatest living copywriters brags about mauling the English language in ads. (And, real life examples of when typos HELPED sales).
  • How your brain automatically fixes bad spelling as you read.
  • Why most people don’t even notice typos. (Even blatant ones.)
  • How being “un-okay” makes you more sales.
  • The common writing “error” certain great communicators & persuaders have used to motivate millions of people. (Everyone from Winston Churchhill to Martin Luther King Jr. has made this so-called mistake that gives grammar and spelling nazis acid reflux. Best part: It works even better in sales copy and emails…)
  • How to put people into a trance when reading your copy.
  • How to use bad grammar to make your emails more entertaining.
  • The “Avengers” secret to making tons more sales. (HINT: “The Avengers” was one of the highest grossing movies of all time — yet it had more errors and continuity blunders in it than any other movie in 2012.)
  • How Producer Jonathan made a ton of sales (450% more clicks) by writing an email that looked like it was written by a complete moron — full of errors, mistakes, misspellings, and butchered grammar.
  • And lotza mo’…

Watch the spelling nazis squirm here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

I loooooove me some typos.

This makes all the writers bristle, of course. But if I listened to what “writers” say I’d be as broke as most of them are. Their anal retentive ways are necessary for writing books, essays, articles, etc. But, can get you killed writing emails.

How?

Because the best communicators are human, not androids.

They communicate like people.

Are more interesting to listen to.

And, thus, more persuasive.

Like it or lump it, great communicators don’t always use perfect grammar. They butcher words to make a point. Keep going without pausing. And, yes, gleefully abuse repetitive words and phrases (like, you know, Winston Churchhill and Martin Luther King Jr. did) that make spelling nazis grumpy.

I remember hearing Matt Furey say writers are rebels.

(Or should be, anyway…)

And that means… rebelling.

Including against the strangling rules choking the creativity out of people too scared to color outside the lines.

I can already here the diehard writers:

“Bullshit, Ben!”

Fair enuff.

Maybe you’ll believe these world class writers and copywriters.

Like Mark Twain, who said:

“I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way”

Or John Carlton, who once said:

“In all my years of mauling the English language, I have never lost a known sale to someone because of either “bad grammar” or typos.”

Or David Deutsch, who taught:

“Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, olny taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pcleas. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by ilstef,but the wrod as a wlohe.”

More:

I once wrote a series of “spelling nazi” emails.

And at least 2 people showed me examples how removing blatant typos (one in a headline!) *hurt* their response.

Finally…

An “inconvenient truth”:

Proof readers earn peanuts compared to even mediocre copywriters who can’t spell to save their lives.

Am I saying to be sloppy?

To riddle your emails with mistakes?

Not at all, babycakes.

I’m saying don’t obsess over every jot and tittle.

Learn how to write your emails fast.

And, in a way people want to buy from.

The rest’ll take care of itself.

Anyway, I’ve got more to say about this.

And, I do on tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast.

Until then, download past shows here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Subject line: 14 minutes left to get your Titans DVD’s and pile of bonuses

The Titans of Direct Response DVD offer with the $5k+ in bonuses I will send you if you order from my affiliate link (below) before midnight, ends in 14 minutes:

www.EmailPlayers.com/titans

This email is for the procrastinators.

Those of you who ALWAYS wait until the last minute.

(Then, email me the next day saying, “I didn’t see your 15+ other emails over the weekend…)

Also, one more thing:

If you are on a smart phone or somewhere you can’t easily (or safely) order from, send me an email to ben ( at ) bensettle.com before the midnight deadline and I will hook you up with the link.

That’s it.

No email from me tomorrow.

I’m sleeping in…

(Tell your inbox I said “you’re welcome”)

Ben Settle

Twooooooo Hours

Dan Kennedy once said that knowing the history of the industry you’re in is one of the prerequisites of making real money in it.

Very few people online “get” the history of direct response.

Or, the men who made it all happen, and what they teach.

(Which is why so many people wander the IM goo-roo casino.)

That’s the bad news.

The good news is:

The Titans of Direct response DVD’s offer (which ends in two short hours from now) is packed with advice, ideas, strategies, tips, techniques, and experiences from the best-of-the-best old school copywriters, direct mailers, Internet marketers, informerical kings, and masters of persuasion who ever lived. And, as a carrot to get you to try them, if you order before midnight from the link below and I’ll send you $5,974.00+ in “for real” value bonuses — yours to keep no matter what.

But time’s almost out.

Make your decision fast.

Then, go here to my affiliate link:

www.EmailPlayers.com/titans

Ben Settle

P.S. Here are more details about the bonuses I want to send you:

1. Crypto Marketing Secrets book

This is the entire 30-issue run of The Crypto Marketing Newsletter.

(Which ran from early 2010 through mid 2012).

This book is not for sale anywhere else. Less than 50 people — give or take — on the planet possess it (and if you are one of the few who already has it, simply give this second copy away to a colleague as a gift or as a contest bonus, or sell it on eBay if you want).

NOTE:

This is a *physical* book that will be sent by mail.

(At my expense).

Retail value: $810.00 (30-issue run, each issue costed $27)

2. The Agora Tapes

Last December Agora Financial ($200 million dollar publisher of books, newsletters and, now, health supplements) flew me in to Baltimore to teach their copywriters and editorial writers about:

  • Infotainment (the single most valuable skill you can learn, IMHO)
  • Selling with storytelling
  • Email marketing

They also taped my talks and gave me copies.

This bundle of recordings are not for sale for any price. But, I will give them to you (via mp3 download) when you try the Titans of Direct Response DVD’s.

Value: $5,000 — the fee Agora paid to teach it

3. Free Email Players back issue

You’ll get a pdf of my most current “Email Players” issue catalog. Pick any one issue you want and I’ll send it to you (at my expense, anywhere in the world).

Retail value: $97.00 — what back issues sell for

4. “Gary Halbert Secrets From Beyond The Grave” interview

I did this interview with Doberman Dan years ago. Dan used to live with Gary, and they did a bunch of projects together. During that time, Dan learned lessons that have made him (literally) millions of bucks in sales since.

This interview contains tips like:

  • How to virtually guarantee you get someone’s attention (i.e. potential JV partners, clients, customers, etc)
  • A secret way of writing world-class ads while goofing off (how else do you think a fun-loving guy like Gary Halbert pumped out so many profitable ads?)
  • Why blatantly copy & pasting Gary Halbert’s copy for your promos can destroy your sales
  • How to never get “writers block”
  • The single most important copywriting “trick” ever created (and that can help you do all kinds of other tasks, too — like write high selling ads, find a car and accomplish just about anything else)
  • And a ho’ bunch more

Retail value: $67.00

(Doberman Dan and I agreed to never sell this for less than $67.00 or give it away as a bonus for a product that was less than that amount)

5. Ten Copyright-Free “Dark Knight” Emails To Use, Abuse, And Profit From However You Want

These are ten 100% copyright free emails I originally wrote for my own business while watching “Batman: The Dark Knight”. But you will have my permission to use these 10 emails however you want, in any way you want, without any compensation, attribution, or extra permission from me. You can use them “as is”, lift whatever copy you want from them (story, subject lines, etc), even sell them to your clients (if’n you do freelancing) for all I care. There’s nothing like having some emails you can use and abuse however you want, ready to go at a moment’s notice if you’re tired, or feeling lazy, or just don’t want to have to “think.”

Retail value: Unknown

(I don’t write emails for hire)

6. The Exact Bullet Points Template I Use

Last but not least:

This document contains the bullet points template I have on my desk (it’s next to my left arm now, as I type this, and is always there) that I use in emails and sales letters.

It’s shortcut my writing time by a factor 10.

And, it’s based on all the best bullets I’ve ever studied.

The only other way to get this is buying my $297 “Copywriting Grab Bag” product. But, I’ll include it in the same package with your free “Email Players” back issue and “Crypto Marketing Secrets” book when you buy the Titans DVD’s.

Whew!

Add ’em up and it’s a cool $5,974.00+ in retail value bonuses.

(What people actually paid, not made up goo-roo figures.)

They’re worth even more when you count the copyright-free emails
and bullet point templates. And again, they are all yours to
*keep*, even if you (gasp!) refund the Titans DVD’s.

This way you simply cannot lose.

Only I can lose in this deal.

(Since I pay the expensive hard costs to print and mail you the
“Crypto Marketing Secrets” book, free “Email Players” issue, and
bullet point templates.)

Time is almost out.

Grab it all here before midnight (PST) tonight:

http://www.EmailPlayers.com/titans

BEN SETTLE

  • Email Markauteur
  • Book & Tabloid Newsletter Publisher
  • Pulp Novelist
  • Software & Newspaper Investor
  • Client-less Copywriter

Type in your primary email address below to open Ben's daily email tips and a free digital copy of his prestigious Email Players newsletter.

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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Even when you’re simply just selling stuff, your emails are, in effect, brilliant content for marketers who want to see how to make sales copy incapable of being ignored by their core market. You are a master of this rare skill, Ben, and I tip my hat in respect.

Gary Bencivenga

(Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living copywriter)

www.MarketingBullets.com

I confess that I have only begun watching Ben closely and corresponding with him fairly recently, my mistake. At this point, it is, bluntly, very rare to discover somebody I find intelligent, informed, interesting and inspiring, and that is how I would describe Ben Settle.

Dan S. Kennedy

Author, ’No BS’ book series

Ben is one of the sharpest marketing minds on the planet, and he runs his membership “Email Players” better than just about any other I’ve seen. I highly recommend it.

Perry Marshall

Author of 8 books whose Google book laid the foundations for the $100 billion Pay Per Click industry, whose prestigious 80/20 work has been used by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs, and whose historic reinvention of the Pareto Principle is published in Harvard Business Review.

www.PerryMarshall.com

I think Ben is the light heavyweight champion of email copywriting. I ass-lo think we’d make Mayweather money in a unification title bout!

Matt Furey

www.MattFurey.com

Zen Master Of The Internet®

President of The Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation

Just want you to know I get great advice and at least one chuckle… or a slap on the forehead “duh”… every time I read your emails!

Carline Anglade-Cole

AWAI’s Copywriter of the Year Award winner and A-list copywriter who has written for Oprah and continually writes control packages for the world’s most prestigious (and competitive) alternative health direct marketing companies

www.CarlineCole.com

I’ve been reading your stuff for about a month. I love it. You are saying, in very arresting ways, things I’ve been trying to teach marketers and copywriters for 30 years. Keep up the good work!

Mark Ford

aka Michael Masterson

Cofounder of AWAI

www.AwaiOnline.com

The business is so big now. Prob 4x the revenue since when we first met… and had you in! Claim credit, as it did correlate!

Joseph Schriefer

(Copy Chief at Agora Financial)

www.AgoraFinancial.com

I wake up to READ YOUR WORDS. I learn from you and study exactly how you combine words + feelings together. Like no other. YOU go DEEP and HARD.”

Lori Haller

(“A-List” designer who has worked on control sales letters and other projects for Oprah Winfrey, Gary Bencivenga, Clayton Makepeace, Jim Rutz, and more.

www.ShadowOakStudio.com

I love your emails. Your e-mail style is stunningly effective.

Bob Bly

The man McGrawHill calls

America’s top copywriter

and bestselling author of over 75 books

www.Bly.com

Ben might be a freaking genius. Just one insight he shared at the last Oceans 4 mastermind I can guarantee you will end up netting me at least an extra $100k in the next year.

Daegan Smith

www.Maximum-Leverage.com

Ben Settle is a great contemporary source of copywriting wisdom. I’ve been a big admirer of Ben’s writing for a long time, and he’s the only copywriter I’ve ever hired and been satisfied with

Ken McCarthy

One of the “founding fathers”

of Internet marketing

www.KenMcCarthy.com

I start my day with reading from the Holy Bible and Ben Settle’s email, not necessarily in that order.

Richard Armstrong

A List direct mail copywriter

whose clients have included

Rodale, Boardroom, Reader’s Digest,

Men’s Health, Newsweek,

Prevention Health Magazine, the ASCPA

and, even, The Limbaugh Letter.

www.FreeSampleBook.com

Of all the people I follow there’s so much stuff that comes into my inbox from various copywriters and direct marketers and creatives, your stuff is about as good as it gets.

Brian Kurtz

Former Executive VP of Boardroom Inc. Named Marketer of the Year by Target Marketing magazine

www.BrianKurtz.me

The f’in’ hottest email copywriter on the web now.

David Garfinkel

The World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach

www.FastEffectiveCopy.com

Ben Settle is my email marketing mentor.

Tom Woods

Senior fellow of the Mises Institute, New York Times Bestselling Author, Prominent libertarian historian & author, and host of one of the longest running and most popular libertarian podcasts on the planet

www.TomWoods.com

I’ve read your stuff and you have some of the best hooks. You really know how to work the hook and the angles.

Brian Clark

www.CopyBlogger.com

Ben writes some of the most compelling subject lines I’ve ever seen, and implements a very unique style in his blog. Honestly, I can’t help but look when I get an email, or see a new post from him in my Google Reader.

Dr. Glenn Livingston

www.GlennLivingston.com

There are very, very few copywriters whose copy I not only read but save so I can study it… and Ben is on that short list. In fact, he’s so good… he kinda pisses me off. But don’t tell him I said that. 😉

Ray Edwards

Direct Response Copywriter

www.RayEdwards.com

You’re damn brilliant, dude…I really DO admire your work, my friend!

Brian Keith Voiles

A-list copywriter who has written winning ads for prestigious clients such as Jay Abraham, Ted Nicholas, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Robert Allen, and Gary Halbert.

www.AdvertisingMagicCopywriting.com

We finally got to meet in person and you delivered a killer talk. Your emails are one of the very few I read and study. And your laid back style.. is just perfect!

Ryan Lee

Best-selling Author

“Entrepreneur” Magazine columnist

www.RyanLee.com

There’s been a recent flood of copy writing “gurus” lately and I only trust ONE! And that’s @BenSettle

Bryan Sharpe

AKA Hotep Jesus

www.BooksByBryan.com

www.HotepNation.com

I’m so busy but there’s some guys like Ben Settle w/incredible daily emails that I always read.

Russell Brunson

World class Internet marketer, author, and speaker

www.RussellBrunson.com

Type in your primary email address below to open Ben's daily email tips and a free digital copy of his prestigious Email Players newsletter.

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